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Amb. Butora Reflects on Slovakia's First 20 Years

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Amb. Butora Reflects on Slovakia's First 20 Years Volume 16, Issue 1 • Winter 2013 AMB. BUTORA REFLECTS ON BOARD OF DIRECTORS Amb. Theodore E. Russell SLOVAKIA’S FIRST 20 YEARS Founding Chairman artin Butora, former Slovak ambassador to the United States, delivered the 13th Joseph T. Senko M Annual Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture on November 16, 2012. He was in - Chairman and Treasurer troduced by Wilson Center Executive Vice President and COO Michael Van Dusen. William Tucker, Esq. A capacity audience filled the Woodrow Wil - Vice Chairman and President son Center auditorium to hear his thoughts on Julie Brès Slávik “20 Years of Independence: Reflections on Free - Secretary dom and Democracy”. e lecture was simulcast Kenneth J. Bombara on the web and is available together with the lec - Dr. Sharon Fisher ture text at www.wilsoncenter.org. Frederick Frank, Esq. Amb. Peter Kmec Ambassador Butora began by describing the Roger Kodat dramatic developments in Slovakia since 1918. Peter Muzila He believes that future historians will “probably Peter A. Rafaeli evaluate Slovakia’s last two decades favorably.” Scott Salmon Thomas W. Skladony Regarding recent developments, both Slovakia Scott Thayer and the Czech Republic are doing rather well ac - Prof. Sharon L. Wolchik cording to various economic indices. Never - Ambassador Butora takes a question theless, the public in both countries “is BOARD OF ADVISORS rather pessimistic and skeptical.” A certain “malaise” is still widespread. There is still corruption and inefficient government bureaucracy. Ingrid Kimianova Aielli Amb. Adrian A. Basora e most problematic area is the judiciary. Bu - Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski tora cited the recent case of former- President Amb. Martin Butora Kovac being ordered to apologize to the for - Mary Ellen Callahan, Esq. mer chief of the intelligence service and to pay Dr. Pavol Demes a large fine. Less than one third of the popula - Thomas A. Dine tion has any confidence in the judiciary sys - Amb. Julie Finley tem, according to a July 2012 study. John H. Goodish Amb. Rastislav Kacer e ambassador then described the mindset of Hon. Michal Kovac many Slovaks today. He described a picture of Amb. Branislav Lichardus certain so-called “real capitalism” which is as Hon. Frank E. Loy unattractive as infamous pre-1989 “real Wendy W. Luers Amb. Russell at podium presents medal as socialism” has been. It is not a regime but rather a Hon. John L. Mica Joe Senko, Tom Dine and Amb. Butora look on metaphor about certain codes of behavior: if one Gail Naughton wishes to get ahead, one must accept that corrup - Prof. Michael Novak tion and clientelism is simply a part of the new order and to adapt to it. Also, most Slovaks Amb. Vincent Obsitnik appreciate their increased freedoms, but only a third thought that honest work would lead Juraj L.J. Slavik to success. “More freedom doesn’t automatically mean more satisfaction.” Amb. Carl Spielvogel Peter Stastny Butora spoke of the challenges to the current government, a one-party government that is Jan Erik Surotchak a first in Slovak history. “e good news [is]: it doesn’t include the bad guys. It is a pro-Eu - Amb. Ronald Weiser ropean cabinet. Slovakia evidently wants to be a part of a …more integrated Europe.” (continued on page 2) 2 Friends of Slovakia Newsletter (continued om page 1) However, political opposition is weak and fragmented and has not been able to make its policies part of government pol - icy. e ruling party has done as it wished in some areas: e.g., the president has blocked the elected prosecutor general from filling his job. A major ongoing challenge is to deal with living conditions for Roma and their relationship to the majority population. eir employment rate is deplorable, education opportunities very limited, and life expectancy is a shocking 15 years less than for other Slovaks. Regarding the economy, Slovakia’s industrial area is growing, unlike the rest of the E.U. e auto industry is doing very well. He regretted that U.S. Steel is considering leaving because they not only provided many jobs but also showed corporate re - sponsibility in the community and initiated a Roma employment project. Ambassador Butora concluded his talk by declaring “one thing is indisputable: the United States and Europe and the Slo - vak Republic as part of Europe have very similar challenges and to discuss them more regularly on the highest possible level in an imaginative way might bring benefits for both sides.” At the conclusion of the lecture, Friends of Slovakia Chairman Joe Senko and Founding Chairman Ambassador Ted Rus - sell presented Ambassador Butora with the FOS Medal of Honor. American Friends of the Czech Republic President Tom Dine presented the speaker with a Certificate of Appreciation. ! BUTORA DINNER HELD AT WASHINGTON GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB OS hosted a festive dinner for Martin and Zora Butora on November 16, F 2012 at the Washington Golf & Country Club following his presentation of the Annual Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture at the Wilson Center in Washington. Among the 48 guests were Slovak Ambassador Peter Kmec, Czech Ambassador Petr Gandalovic, Martin Palous, former Permanent Representative to the UN for the Czech Republic. former Czech Am - bassador to the US and currently head of the Havel Foundation in the Amb. Russell, Joe Senko, Zora Butora, Amb. Butora, US; Pavol Demes, German Marshall Greg Fasing, Bill Tucker, Pavol Demes Fund Transatlantic Fellow and for - mer Slovak Minister of International Oliver Gunovsky, Amb. Martin Butora, Pavol Demes and Amb. Peter Kmec Relations, Greg Fasing, Slovak hon - orary consul in Denver, and Tom Dine, former president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Prague and president of American Friends of the Czech Republic. FOS board mem - bers Ted Russell, Joe Senko, Bill Tucker, Julie Slavik, and Ken Bom - Richard Marko, Zora Butora, bara acted as table hosts. Amb. Butora and Jana Fodorova Martin, as one of the founding members of Friends of Slovakia, presented some remarks about the close relationship between Slovakia and the US and the value of an organization Former Czech Amb. Martin Palous, like FOS in promoting U.S. – Slovak friendship and cooperation. Several members of the Bill Tucker, Amb. Butora and FOS board of directors recalled the founding of FOS and the critical role that Martin Czech Amb. Petr Gandalovi č played in the early life of the organization as Slovak Ambassador to Washington. ! Friends of Slovakia Newsletter 3 PAVOL DEMEŠ’ NEW BOOK ON US5SLOVAK RELATIONS n November 15, Ambassador Peter Kmec hosted a reception and O book launch co-sponsored by Friends of Slovakia for Pavol Demeš’ new book on Slovak-American relations. A large audience, including many members of Friends of Slovakia attended, some of whom, like Wendy Luers, had been deeply involved in eff orts to strengthen Slovak civil society. Aer brief remarks by Ambassador Kmec and FOS Found - ing Chairman Ted Russell, Pavol Demeš discussed the role U.S. private organizations, individuals and the U.S. government played in helping to build Slovak civil society starting immediately aer the Velvet Revolu - tion of 1989. Amb. Kmec, Amb. Russell, Pavol Deme š Pavol Demeš spoke with particular authority having been a leader in and Amb. Butora working to strengthen Slovak private and voluntary organizations and also serving as foreign policy advisor to President Michael Kovac during a challenging period for Slovak democracy during the Meciar government 1994-98. Former Slovak Ambassador to Washington, Martin Butora, contributed to the discussion and emphasized the importance of this help in getting Slovakia into NATO and the European Union. Pavol Demeš went on to point out how Slovak civil society and the Slovak government are now helping other nations in Eastern and Southern Europe and North Africa to build their own civil societies. Pavol Demeš’ book, “A Collective Portrait: e U.S. Contribution to the Development of Civil Society in Slovakia” , is avail - able in digital format and may be read or downloaded via the Friends of Slovakia website: www.friendsofslovakia.org . The book was earlier presented at a book launch at the U.S. Embassy in Bratislava at an event hosted by Ambassa - dor Tod Sedgwick. ! STEVE ZLATOS, INDIANA HONORARY CONSUL teve Zlatos is Slovakia’s honorary consul in Indianapolis, Indiana. He has worked for over 30 S years as a patent and trademark attorney for the Woodard law firm in downtown Indianapolis, helping inventors and small businesses protect their inventions. He is a graduate of Purdue Univer - sity in Engineering Studies and the Indiana University Law School in Indianapolis. Steve’s consular territory covers the states of Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. Steve’s wife, Betsy, is also an attor - ney, and she counsels the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. They have two children, Megan, a teacher of English as a Second Language, and Bryan, currently in his sen - ior year of studies at Wittenberg University in Ohio. Steve Zlatos Steve’s Slovak grandparents immigrated from Pruské, a small town located in the foothills of the White Carpathian Moun - tains not far from the Moravian border. His father was one of thirteen children, three of whom stayed in Slovakia and due to the world wars were not reunited with their siblings and family in the United States for over half a century. Steve’s first visit to Slovakia was in 1985 during the time of communism, the Cold War and the Iron Curtain. Since then he has visited numerous times, always taking opportunities to enjoy the food such as bryndzoé halusky and beer, particu - larly Zlaty Bazant, and hiking among the beautiful Tatra Mountains and seemingly endless castle ruins. ! ́ 4 Friends of Slovakia Newsletter 1ST ANNUAL AMB. PETER BURIAN ROMA SCHOLARSHIP PRESENTED IN BRATISLAVA he Slovak honorary consuls in the United States were honored to join Amb.
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